NEW! By Barry Rubin

“There have been many hundreds of books for and against Israel but no volume presenting the essential information about its domestic politics, its society, as well as its cultural life and its economy. This gap has now been filled.”—Walter Laqueur, author of A History of Zionism

"[An] essential resource for readers interested in learning the truth about the Zionist project in the 20th and 21st centuries."—Sol Stern, Commentary

“Offering in-depth perspectives with encyclopedic breadth on the makeup of the Jewish state, focusing only briefly on Israel's struggle for self-preservation. The section "History" provides a masterful summary of Israel's past from its socialist beginnings before independence to the modern struggles with the Iranian regime. . . .”—Publishers Weekly

“A well-written portrait of a vibrant nation at the center of turmoil in the region.”—Jay Freeman, Booklist

"It is indeed just a starting point, but Israel: An Introduction, if disseminated among our universities to the extent it deserves, will at least allow students of the Middle East and of Jewish history to start off on the right foot. A glimpse into the real Israel may do more for the future of U.S.-Israeli relations than any amount of rhetoric ever could."—Daniel Perez, Jewish Voice New York

Written by a leading historian of the Middle East, Israel is organized around six major themes: land and people, history, society, politics, economics, and culture. The only available volume to offer such a complete account, this book is written for general readers and students who may have little background knowledge of this nation or its rich culture.

About Me

Barry Rubin is director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal. See the GLORIA/MERIA site at www.gloria-center.org.

Recent Rubin Reports

Monday, April 27, 2009

The Turkish military has announced joint military maneuvers with Syria. That means a NATO ally is working more closely--and to some extent revealing military equipment and tactics--to a country that sponsors Hamas, Hizballah and the Iraqi insurgents killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq; orders terrorist attacks in Lebanon to assassinate political and military figures there; wages war on Israel, and just got caught building a covert nuclear weapons' building installation in conjunction with North Korea and Iran.

Anyone see a problem there?

The Justice and Development (AKP) Party in Turkey presents itself as a center-right reform party, the evolution of former Islamists to support democracy. As such, it has been very attractive at least to U.S. policymakers though EU governments, for a number of reasons, are increasingly reluctant to admit Turkey to the EU.

While the AKP did start out as a reformist regime, the concern about whether it had a secret Islamist agenda has always been present. As the AKP wins election after election--due partly to the total disorganization and lack of leadership among the opposition--its Islamist aspects come out more sharply. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that the current regime feels more comfortable with Iran than with the United States.

The barrier to the government's going further down this road has been both fear of voter response and the possibility that the military will some day stage a coup. The former was somewhat reinforced by the AKP's somewhat reduced showing in the recent local elections.

The latter problem is not so immediate for a number of reasons. At EU insistence, the political role of the military was reduced. Knowing how popular the government is, the officers have been reluctant to strike lest such an operation unleash a civil war. Finally, the government has been arresting and trying officers (and other opponents) accusing them, in most cases falsely of plotting a takeover.

While Turkey is a NATO member, Syria is an Iranian bloc member and a sponsor of terrorism in its own right. This is one more step in the erosion of any serious effort to build an alignment against the growing power of the Iran-Syria alliance and should be treated seriously. Unfortunately, Western enthusiasm about Turkey as the perfect example of a Muslim-majority state being a democracy and illusions about Syrian moderation will prevent this from happening.